Tuna salad

It's important when introducing solid food to your baby that you are making sure to offer her foods that represent a well-balanced diet. I'll admit: sometimes I forget about protein. I am better with Buttercup than I am with myself. I'll find myself going a few days without making a conscience effort to eat protein of some sort. The solution usually ends up being tuna. Firstly, tuna has those super Omega-3s. Secondly, I get it free from WIC (a government nutritional supplementation program for women, infants and children). Thirdly, it's easy - no cooking required! 

One day I was making myself some tuna salad for a sandwich and thought I'd give some to Buttercup to try. I left the pickle relish out, since it's mostly salt. So, hers just had tuna and some mayo (I use the olive oil variety). I plopped about a quarter cup onto her tray and she happily shoveled it into her mouth. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner, but we'll definitely be keeping this as a protein emergency staple.

PROS: easy protein option

CONS: gives baby fishy breath

Salmon

You'll have to take my word for it, but that really is a chunk of salmon in Buttercup's fist. I broke the fish into quarter-sized pieces. She loves fish, and although she's had it several different times, the only salmon she'd had up to this point was canned salmon and smoked. For this meal, the salmon had been pan-fried in olive oil (with some pepper, garlic and lime juice). She gobbled it all up!

This was a great meal for her because the fish was a nice consistency to hold on to. It was also flaky so she could chew and swallow it easily. I've mentioned it before, but fish is an extremely healthy food for babies (and adults for that matter) because of its high Omega-3 and protein content. Other health benefits of fish, especially salmon, is it has essential vitamins and minerals that promote healthy tissue growth, lowers cholesterol, regulates metabolism and is good for eye, brain and nerve development. Sounds like a super-food if you ask me! I’m so happy Buttercup has a love for fish!

PROS: Multiple health benefits
CONS: Maybe watch out for bones (depends on the cut and species of fish)

Salmon Croquettes

Up to this point, Buttercup had only had simple one ingredient meals. I made salmon croquettes for dinner so I thought I'd try that out with her. They consisted of salmon, onions, bell peppers, bread crumbs, and egg. Ok, so they're really just salmon patties, but calling them "croquettes" makes me feel more sophisticated.

I cut one into thirds and gave it to Buttercup during our dinner. 

As far as I could tell she liked it. The multiple ingredients didn't seem to phase her. She smashed a fistful in her mouth like she'd been doing it all her life. Buttercup did get quite a lot of food in her mouth at one point. She had a bit of a coughing fit, but didn't end up spitting anything out. She kept working and eventually swallowed it all! I know that a lot of people have reservations about baby led solids because they are afraid of the choking thing, but honestly I've had more issues with food going down the wrong pipe than my baby has recently. Remember the FAQ's post: coughing and even gagging is a normal part of the learning process.

Sidenote: I'm starting to really wish we had a dog. A dog would come in really handy for cleaning up high chair fallout.

Check out this great article outlining the necessities of introducing fish to your baby early on. 

PROS: great nutrition (hello Omega-3s), easy to chew

CONS: Hubby said it made Buttercup's face smell like the lake

Fish

I made pan-fried tilapia fillets (with a corn meal/flour coating), smashed potatoes and green beans (from my garden!). I was thinking about what to give Buttercup for dinner when I thought, "What the heck! I'll just give her what we're having!" That's one of the main advantages to BLS, right? So, Buttercup had her first taste of fish, and her first multi-food meal.

She loved it all. This kid must have been adopted. I didn't have tilapia for the first time until I was 21. In fact, I think my only experience of fish until college was canned tuna and frozen fish sticks. I'm so happy that Buttercup is getting to try so many different things and is developing a love of healthy food. It warms the cockles of my heart. And I'm SOOO relieved that she isn't picky...

I digress. Buttercup enjoyed the green beans more than her last try of them. I steamed them a bit longer and I think that made the difference. I cut the smallest tilapia fillet into four long strips. She managed the pieces pretty easily. The only challenge for her was the little end bits that were cooked a bit crispier than the rest. I should have cut those off first. Challenges aside, she probably swallowed a third of the fish I gave her. The potatoes were a bit more of a challenge, as I anticipated they would be. I tried giving her a pre-loaded spoon of them, but she wasn't interested. She did managed to pick up a few fistfuls and squish it into her gob. I was proud.

PROS: Omega-3 = brain food

CONS: Watch out for the tough end bits, which are harder for baby to "chew"